The Stormers have moved on from their Loftus triumph, warning the Dragons will be no easy beats in Cape Town, writes LINDIZ VAN ZILLA.
Damian Willemse says the focus has quickly shifted to the next challenge.
“The Bulls result was massive and very important for us to get the win to put ourselves in a good position again.
“But we don’t want to hang on too much to that game. There are six [league stage] matches left in the URC, so we’re getting to the business end and looking forward to a big one against the Dragons [on Sunday].
“They are No 1 in defence this URC season, so they are a quality outfit.”
The Dragons lie 14th on the 16-team log with 20 points – 10 points outside the playoffs – having won only two matches out of 12.
However, a closer look at the results for the team out of Newport in Wales show that they had three draws, while four of their seven defeats were by seven points or less.
LAKER: Stormers learned from losses
And despite their lowly position on the log, the Dragons have an 84% tackle success rate with 2,009 tackles made and 235 missed.
Willemse’s thoughts on the threat posed by the Dragons were echoed by Stormers defence coach Norman Laker.
“What happened [against the Bulls] on Saturday is the past. We’ve done the review and now it’s all on the Dragons who are a quality outfit.
“They have a new coach from New Zealand [Filo Tiatia],” he added. “They signed a new 13 who a good ball-carrier [Tonga international Fine Inisi from Moana Pasifika], and they have Tinus de Beer – the former Bulls, Pumas, Griquas and Cardiff flyhalf – who can control the game.”
Coach Dale MacLeod also joined the Dragons as defence coach in May last year.
ALSO: Stormers boss hails unsung hero
The Stormers conceded three tries – including a penalty try at Loftus.
“All our focus is on the Dragons and obviously we still need to improve defensively, there are still a few things we can fix,” said Laker.
Photo: Gallo Images
The post Gaza: Dragons won’t lie down appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
